19 Rural Environmental Area Rules

ENVIRONMENTAL AREAS - RURAL 19 RURAL ENVIRONMENT 19.1 INTRODUCTION The rural environments of the Grey District contain extensive resources, which on a per capita basis must be as great as anywhere else in New Zealand. These resources include indigenous forest, exotic forest, farmland, minerals, rivers, lakes, buildings and infrastructure. They are all used to a greater or lesser extent to provide social, economic and cultural well being of the community. The National Water and Soil Conservation Organisation's Land Resource Inventory shows the District to be predominantly Class V-VIII land, of low to negligible suitability for arable farming, general pastoralism and forestry. Grey District does not contain any high quality Class I and II land. Class III and IV lands of general suitability are largely confined to the river and stream valleys of the District. Class III land is restricted to the Grey River Valley between Ngahere and Totara Flat, Haupiri, on the eastern shores of Lake Brunner, and Taramakau settlement. The District is characterised by its widespread indigenous forests, and in comparison, rather limited pastoral farming areas. The Grey River catchment is perhaps indicative of the whole District, having 85% vegetation cover of native bush in 1985. Parts of the river valleys and certain lower altitude areas have been cleared of native forests and have been sown in introduced grass species for productive agriculture. In areas found to be sub-marginal for agricultural use regeneration of scrub and weed species has occurred. These latter areas accounted for 10% of the catchment’s vegetation cover in 1985. The boggy pakihi soils of the District are largely treeless, supporting only stunted manuka, sedges, water fern and bracken but often fringed by rimu and beech forests. The pakihi forests offer ideal growing conditions for sphagnum moss, which is harvested on a sustainable basis by picking areas and allowing regeneration over approximately a five-year period. Such soils are also available for exotic forestry. Wetlands are a valuable recreational resource and have an important water retention and purification function. In the past some of these have been modified by drainage and development and this may have had the effect of increasing flood intensities and reducing biological diversity. The principal activities associated with the forest resources are the felling and processing of trees, although harvesting of sphagnum moss is increasing in significance. Forestry activities have been mainly confined to the lowland forests. Approximately 80% of the District's native forests are State owned, managed mainly by the Department of Conservation. The remaining area is largely administered by Timberlands West Coast Ltd. In accordance with Ministry of Forestry policy, Timberlands manage these forests on a long-term sustainable yield basis. Private foresters are also required to carry out operations on a sustainable basis. Native production forests of podocarp and beech are situated in the Kopara/Haupiri area, between Lady Lake and Lake Haupiri, and on the foothills north, south and east of the Grey River. Exotic forestry now occupies approximately 15,200ha of land within the District, the major plantation blocks being Paparoa, Hochstetter, Mawhera and Omoto/Nemona. Timber processing industries, whilst generally in the rural environment, have in most cases had towns spring up beside them and have become part of the town environment. Small portable sawmill operations have also established in the District. GREY DISTRICT PLAN 112 ENVIRONMENTAL AREAS - RURAL The principal activities associated with farmland are sheep and beef farming, dairying, deer, and to a lesser extent pigs and horticulture. Farmland is scattered in relatively small discontinuous strips adjoining the coast or in river valleys. Historically the Barrytown Flats, coastal areas south of Greymouth, Grey Valley and flats around Lake Brunner and Taramakau have been developed extensively for sheep and beef farming, and more recently, dairying has grown in significance. The main agricultural industries of the Phoenix Meat Plant at Kokiri and the Nelson Creek Abattoir are both established in the rural environment. In addition to those industries above, the rural area has traditionally supported a diverse range of rural service industries, such as contractors’ depots or trucking companies among other things. These are typically situated within or adjoining rural settlements. Tourism has increased significantly over recent years, much of it based on the resources of the rural area such as the forests, rivers and lakes and heritage items. Tourist attractions in the District include tramping, fishing, boating, sailing, white and blackwater rafting, gold panning, horse trekking, nature and historic site viewing, which are able to utilise the natural resources of the District, such as the coast and back country. The principal activities associated with mineral resources are coal mining, gold mining, and gravel and limestone. There are also ilmenite mining and petroleum resources that have potential for future development. There are several coalmines presently operating, both State and private, and other projects are being progressed. Much of the gold and bituminous coal resources of the West Coast are contained in the Grey District. Underground hydromining and open cast mining are the most commonly used methods of extraction, with mines having crushing and screening facilities onsite. Extraction of gold from alluvial fans and terraces is the principal means of gold recovery in the Grey District. Although the presence of hard rock gold has been identified in the Grey River catchment, present prospective areas are few. The size of operations varies, from the large dredging operations to recreational or hobby mining using cradles, sluice boxes and other handheld equipment. The majority of operators mining alluvial deposits use hydraulic diggers and rotary screens that either float in a pond or are skid mounted. Limestone is quarried in a number of places in the District and used mainly as agricultural lime. Gravel for roading aggregate is extracted from various rivers within the District, predominantly the Grey and export of some gravel from the Greymouth Port commenced at the beginning of 1998. Within the Rural Environmental Area is also infrastructure which services activities in the local and wider areas. This includes roading and National Grid Infrastructure. 19.2 ISSUES 1. Potential adverse effects of activities in the rural area may include the following: the lowering of water quality through the discharge of contaminants. a reduction in the natural character of wetlands, the lakes and rivers and their margins by a loss of riparian vegetation, intrusive structures and earthworks in proximity to the waterbody. GREY DISTRICT PLAN 113 ENVIRONMENTAL AREAS - RURAL reduction in the landscape value of areas by the renewal of vegetation, major earthworks and increased activity. increased traffic and shading of roads. increase in erosion and instability of sites. disturbance and loss of areas of vegetation and wildlife habitats. a general reduction in rural amenities in respect of quietness, privacy, spaciousness and polluted air and water. conflict between new activities and established activities which can potentially inhibit the operation of the latter. While many activities in the rural environment such as farming, mining and forestry enable people to provide for their economic, social and cultural well being, potential adverse effects may be generated. Given the area of the District, the abundance of resources (many of which are protected or sustainably managed) and a relatively low population, sustainable management can be approached in a manner differing from that in areas of the country where resources are severely depleted or under pressure. In particular, less restrictive measures may be adopted and non-regulatory methods implemented. 19.3 OBJECTIVES 1. The management of resources in the rural environment in a manner that enables people and communities to carry out a variety of activities while ensuring that the resource base is sustainable for future generations and maintaining the life supporting capacity and healthy functioning of ecosystems. 2. The retention of the character of the rural environment in which existing amenities include its openness and spaciousness, natural features and presence of indigenous vegetation. 19.4 POLICIES 1. Activities should not significantly reduce the long-term potential or availability of the natural and physical resource. 2. New activities should not adversely impact on the operation of established activities provided that any effect generated by the established activity does not give rise to a nuisance that would not normally be expected in a rural working environment. 3. A wide range of activities are carried out in a manner that avoids, remedies or mitigates adverse effects, including those referred to in Policies 4 - 5. 4. Patterns of subdivision and development should ensure that the openness of the rural environment is retained. The bulk and location of structures should not effect the character of the rural area or affect the amenities of adjoining properties. 5. Activities should not adversely affect the amenities of the rural area or adjoining properties in terms of such matters as effluent disposal, noise, traffic generation, air emissions, odour, shading and visual impact. GREY DISTRICT PLAN 114 ENVIRONMENTAL

Load more